Time for a spring clear out so the spare set of S1 wheels were put up for sale on Pistonheads. Not a bite for a week and then I had an email from a very nice French S1 owner who ended up coming all the way from Normandy to buy the wheels. He turned up in an immaculate Mini pick-up and with his broken English and iPhone pictures showed me the Mini City and Mini Cooper that he also owns (both immaculate).
Armed with some extra cash I purchased a lovely set of Compomotive matte black alloys. Cast specifically for the S1 they look great. To go with these are some "summer tyres". A set of just legal Toyo 888's. This is where the less is more title comes from, as despite being wider at the rear they do have significantly less tread! My man (mechanic) said to go easy for the first 200 miles to give them a chance to scrub in. Apparently they need some abuse to get up to temperature (hooray!) but when you get there the grip is legendary. Will be interesting to see how long they last!
The black wheels give the car a "stealth" look and I'm looking forward to some spirited driving and track days this year to test the 888's to the limit.
I also had some up-rated toe-links fitted. Apparently this can be a weak part if there is significantly more grip being generated and it does not look very cool to exit a corner with the bottom of the wheel hanging off! Finally, I had all the settings laser-tracked so the balance is perfect. All we need now is some decent weather!
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